The Top 7 Timeless At-Work Productivity Habits

Everyone is given the same amount of time each day. So why do some people seem to get more done than the rest of us? How are they able to be more productive?

There are only 24 hours in a day; the key is to learn how to make the most of your time. Some people simply have better work habits or have learned how to be more efficient.

Fortunately, there are plenty of work productivity tips available to help you squeeze the most out of every hour of your day. In this article, we take a look at how to be more productive at work. Keep reading to learn how to take your productivity habits to the next level.

1. Prioritize Your Tasks

The simple reality is that not all tasks are created equal. This is why it’s so important to learn to prioritize your tasks. Make a list of all the tasks you need to accomplish during your workday. Now put them in order of importance.

Keep in mind that you only have so much mental energy each day. Thus by the end of the day, you won’t be as effective or sharp as you are at the start. Prioritizing your tasks allows you to better direct your focus and energy to those items that require greater urgency.

An example of a priority to place at the top of your list is to learn more about the importance of getting health insurance for your pet.

2. Avoid Distractions

We live in a world of distractions. From the Internet to social media to television, sometimes it can feel like you need superhuman willpower to avoid falling down the rabbit hole of things vying for your attention.

Learning how to set up your workspace to minimize distraction is key to increasing your productivity. Learn to mute your phone, close all web browser windows, limit the amount of time spent reading emails, and avoid the impulse to respond to every text immediately.

Remember that your day is made up of minutes, and you have the choice to spend each minute distracted or focused on completing your tasks.

3. Break down Your Tasks into Manageable Pieces

Many tasks can feel overwhelming. It can make your stomach hurt to contemplate beginning a task when you realize it might consume your entire day.

One of the secrets to completing big tasks is to break them down into smaller pieces that you can more easily manage.

You’ll quickly discover that big tasks are no problem. It’s mostly a matter of how your mind grapples with the size of things. When a task seems huge, your brain kicks into survival mode and panics.

Yet when you break things down into pieces, your brain can cope more easily and you’ll end up getting more work done in a shorter period of time with less stress.

4. Learn How to Manage Decision-Making

The art of decision-making is something most people don’t understand. The truth is that each decision we make burns calories, thus using up a lot of valuable mental energy.

Learning to prioritize decisions, and to eliminate the need for many decisions, is one of the most important skills you can develop.

The mind loves creating problems and then solving them. Much of this mental cycle is nothing more than a repetitive thought pattern. You likely don’t even realize you’re doing this.

Learning to meditate and become more aware of your internal mental activity is a great way to manage your energy better.

5. Learn to Say “No”

There is tremendous power in developing the ability to say no.

Your day is filled with meetings, unproductive conversations, and demands on your time that are purely an energy suck.

One of the most valuable gifts you can give yourself is to learn to quickly identify the importance of what is being asked of you, evaluate it, and then to say “no” if necessary.

Remember, the word “no” is a complete sentence. You don’t owe an explanation. Your time is valuable and limited. You can never get back time wasted on something that is unimportant that you could have invested in yourself or a task of greater priority.

Develop the simple habit of saying no. Remove the fear of letting people down or disappointing them, and you’ll be amazed at how liberated you feel.

6. Learn from Successes and Mistakes

Here is a simple truth: Life is filled with both successes and mistakes.

So do yourself a favor by learning to find the lesson in every success and every mistake. Because there is a reason for every outcome. What did you do right? Or what did you do wrong? Learning to break outcomes down and analyzing them to understand the variable that created the outcome is an invaluable resource.

After all, nothing happens by accident. Pay attention, take a long look at what happened and why. And once you begin to understand the reasons for successes and failures, you’ll be better able to increase your number of successes going forward.

7. Manage Your Energy/Take Breaks

Just as you are given a limited number of work hours each day, you also have a limited amount of physical and mental energy. The key is to learn to manage your energy.

Have you ever noticed how you can exhaust yourself just by sitting and thinking? Become aware of your mental space. Become mindful of your thought patterns, and develop skills to harness those resources.

A good way to help manage your limited mental energy is to take breaks. Stand up and step aware from your computer. Put down your smartphone. Get some fresh air and sunshine.

Giving your brain a break for even five or ten minutes several times a day can make a huge difference.

Important Tips for Increasing Work Productivity

Everyone wants to be more productive. The good news is, this isn’t impossible. The work productivity tips contained in this article can help. Take the time to study these tips and apply them to your life. You’ll be amazed by the results.